Does Inhaled Budesonide Produce Benefits in COPD?
Inhaled corticosteroids are used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to reduce cough, mucus secretion and airway inflammation. Although their benefit is well established in the management of asthma, long-term benefit has not been shown in the treatment of COPD. Vestbo and colleagues studied the long-term effects of inhaled budesonide on forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) in patients with mild to moderate COPD. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study included 290 patients 30 to 70 years of age who had an FEV1-to-vital-capacity ratio of 0.7 and less than 15 percent reversibility in FEV1 in response to 1 mg of inhaled terbutaline and in response to 10 days of treatment with 37.5 mg of oral prednisolone daily. Three fourths of the patients entering the study were current smokers. Of the 203 patients completing the three-year study, 109 were in the budesonide treatment group and 94 were in the placebo group. Inhaled budesonide was given in a dosage
